Jerry Jones: Cowboys 'will not play' if they disrespect flag

'A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag."Stand for Anthem or sit for game!"' Trump tweeted.

"There is no room here if it comes between looking non-supportive of our players and of each other or creating the impression that you're disrespecting the flag, we will be non-supportive of each other", Jones said.

"He's the owner. Either you listen or you don't", Washington Redskins tight end Vernon Davis said Monday. "We will not. if we are disrespecting the flag, then we will not play".

He said he made a decision to address it with reporters after Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers when they asked Jones about Vice President Mike Pence leaving a game in Indianapolis earlier in the day when San Francisco 49ers players took a knee.

Now one owner - who happens to be friends with Trump - has publicly declared that his team's players are banned from protesting during the anthem.

Speaking after the Cowboys lost 35-31, thanks to a last-minute drive from Aaron Rodgers, Jones said any players who disrespect the flag "will not play". All of the Cowboys were on their feet at Sunday's game, and Jones suggested he was unaware that two players raised their fists toward the end.

'We know that there is a serious debate in this country about those issues, but there is no question in my mind that the National Football League and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag.

Jones said he understands the social concerns surrounding the issue, adding that he has "always had our players' backs on issues I've been criticized for". 'But if there's anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play. OK? He's got rights, too.

Jones, who donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, took part in what appeared to be an anti-Trump demonstration before a game on September 25 (though the announcer said it was about "unity", and it's become unclear what teams and individuals are trying to convey). In a statement, Pence said he will not dignify an event that disrespects the military and the US. Trump on Sunday said that he told Pence to leave early if any players knelt.

But three players did not join the team on the field during the anthem on Sunday.

Jones told Mortensen that President Donald Trump's continued focus on the protests during the anthem reminded him of a section in the NFL's operations manual regarding the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner".